Vacuum Leak?

[FPBBrandon]

I was in the car last night getting my old radio out, and putting a more modern single DIN stereo in. I wound up pulling the console from the center, and all went well until I got to the faceplate that needs to be cut to install a DIN style radio... C'est la vie. That's what I get for not reading enough! I'm still contemplating whether or not to take the reversible (but difficult and $$$) plunge of chopping the faceplate, but that is ancillary to why I'm writing.

After putting the console back together, I've noticed the car will now 'stick' at 2k RPM if the motor hovers near that mark for any period of time. A quick stab at the gas will move the tach up then back down to the regular idle at 750, and I'm thinking my removal of the console created a vacuum leak in one of the lines that runs under the console.

I've never tested for bad vacuum before, does anyone have good advice or BTDT for this? Its not a huge problem, but its a bit annoying in first, given my clutch started slipping.

As a funny aside, we were working in an underground heated parking garage in Boulder, CO. When I entered the garage, it was sunny, clear, decent weather. When I got the console zipped back together, it was a large, blowing, out of the blue snowstorm. Driving the DMC in snow is certainly a very lively and terrifying thing. The car made it home in one piece thankfully!

[Dangermouse]

The HVAC mode switch (where you select the operating mode of the heater/AC) in located below the radio and is vacuum controlled, so you have probably knocked one of the tubes off.

You may be able to swap your post-radio console for a DIN one on here?

[Bitsyncmaster]

My guess is you pinched or pulled the throttle cable. It runs down the center console.

[Jonathan]

You may have also pinched the throttle cable when you put the console back together. If you snap the gas and it goes back down, it might be telling you there is something new interferring with the throttle spool and spring coming back to its normal rest position. It could be you got the throttle cable and sheath kinked somewhere and it's not sliding easy anymore.

EDIT: Haha, what quick fingers there said!

[FPBBrandon]

Sounds like its time to queue the console removal music again :rolleyes1: Maybe as pennance I should make an illustrated how-to. Live and learn I suppose.

Dermot- I hadn't thought of that but that's a good idea. The only thing that could be annoying with the swap is getting the vertical plate out with all the bulbs etc, not to mention the epic spaghetti monster of wires that lives back there... Didn't your removal of that panel kill your blinkers?

[Dangermouse]

You would be advised to remove it anyway if you are going to cut it. Don't want metal shavings falling into switches etc.

(Yes, it killed mine briefly, until I plugged them back in ;). )

[Jonathan]

There are some good write-ups on console removal and the like on here. Search "console" and one that Dermot started will come up (although you've likely already seen these from the sounds of it).

You can also search "faceplate" to get additional ones. Shep wrote this one I found useful. I added some to it at the bottom from the 'swap to DIN' stereo job I did last off season. If you get stumped on something, just ask. I took a ton of pictures, but far too many to upload them all here. If you have a certain angle or area you're not sure what is going on, I'll look through them and see if I can help you out.

http://dmctalk.org/showthread.php?7688-How-to-install-a-new-radio-faceplate&highlight=faceplate

[Rich]

So before you invest the time in removing the console again you can first verify that indeed the throttle cable is sticking. Re-create the fast idle condition and check the throttle position.

Use the quick-disconnect throttle link beneath the spool to further verify that the fast-idle problem isn't due to anything binding downstream of the spool. If that's clear then it's probably in the cable.

And even in that case you might find that you can pull on the front end of the cable beneath the radio to straighten or free the cable a bit. With the console still in place. After that it's probably console-off time.

[FPBBrandon]

I was going to go console-off last night, but the combination of the crap weather inducing laziness and an odd need to make a batch of Chex-Mix induced by the crap weather won out. I'll try tugging on the cable tonight or tomorrow.